Healthy grocery shopping strategies for avoiding the supermarket mine field

June 3, 11:13 AMFitness ExaminerStefan Pinto

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Shopping for groceries is a chore. Shopping for groceries when you’re hungry can be destructive. Your priority right now is to eat, and if you’re on a diet, the potential for ruin is imminent. “When tension and anxiety are high in one aspect of life, it’s not unusual for other areas to seem trivial or less important. This shift in priorities can lead to a breakdown in behaviors that may normally be under control, such as the diet,” said Charles Stuart Platkin, host of WEtv I Want to Save Your Life.  Your opponent here may have an effortless battle, “just thinking about weight control can add to an already stressful life” he said.

The American supermarket can be a proverbial minefield, according to Dr. Adam Drewnowski a lead researcher for the Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition and head of the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington. “Trying to sidestep all the fat, sodium and cholesterol, we are losing sight of the fact that real foods are important.” Dr. Drewnowski feels that a negative approach to diet has failed us, “Nutrient-rich foods are critical to a healthy diet and for a myriad of reasons--including the present economic downturn--people simply don’t choose them enough at the [grocery] store.”

Shop the supermarkets’ perimeter is the most common piece of advice for healthy grocery shopping, “the fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and fresh meats are found here“ said James Hahn, II a wellness coach and sugar addiction expert. “The center of the supermarket, is where all of the fake, processed food is found” he warned. This necessary chore is certainly an exercise in discipline, agrees Nora Dunn on WiseBread.com a website about living large on a small budget. She suggests that we "put blinders on." "Staple foods like eggs and milk are often located at the back of the store. And for good reason: the only way to get there is to walk through aisles upon aisles of temptation. If all you need is a quart of milk, then do not allow yourself to get sidetracked by an “amazing deal.'"

Dr. Felicia D. Stoler a nutritionist and exercise physiologist and host of TLC's Honey We're Killing the Kids advises however, that “you can’t just tell people to shop the perimeter -- the bakery products are there too!” Troubling indeed, since bakery products contain that dreaded “c” word, which we all know women hate, “carbohydrates like bagels, cookies, crackers, take-out sandwiches, fast food buns, and snack items... stop consuming! They all contain grains that have been stripped of minerals, nutrients and fiber,” Suzanne Monroe a food and healthy lifestyle coach shouted to me via the caps lock key. “Eat whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, barley, whole oats and other complex carbohydrate foods like beans, legumes and vegetables. These foods will even out blood sugar, provide lasting energy and help Americans to lose weight without yo- yo dieting,” she said.

Dr. Stoler does warn that there is “a false assumption” that whole grain automatically equals fiber, but the quantity often remains dubious, “you need to read the nutrition facts label.” Hahn explains that manufacturers are allowed to put “whole grain” on the label as longs as their products contain 51% whole grains.” He advises to look out for the exploitive "enriched" among the list of ingredients in whole grain products. “‘Enriched’ is code for depleted on any food label. The flour has been so stripped of its nutrients during processing that it must be added in after the fact.” But why is this harmful? Supplements and vitamins are added to food all the time. “The vitamins they add back into the flour are synthetics. The body will not properly utilize synthetic vitamins. Vitamins need to be fully in tact in their food state to be fully absorbed and used.”

Eating “100% Whole Grain” foods will ensure you get your proper daily dose of nutrients in their natural state the way your body can use them, said Hahn. Check out these useful tips on what to always buy and overall supermarket food purchasing tips.

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More info: Fitness model, Stefan Pinto was was once over 50lbs overweight. Learn about his diet and weight loss adventures in his blog post, "Whole Foods Changed My Life"